The most anticipated California Collegiate Athletic Association series of the preseason takes place this Saturday and Sunday at Nettleton Stadium when the 13^th-ranked Wildcats face preseason No. 5 Cal Poly Pomona.
 
The series starts Saturday with a noon doubleheader and concludes Sunday with a single game at 11 a.m. All three games of the series will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Audio will also be streamed online at www.chicowildcats.com, where links to live stats will also be found. Fans can find them in the calendar section on the homepage and on the baseball schedule page.
 
Chico State, 19-4 overall, has opened conference play with 12 straight wins. Cal Poly Pomona stumbled out of the gates this season, but is back on track, having won nine of its past 12 games to improve to 13-10 overall and 9-3 in the CCAA.
 
In the CCAA's Preseason Coaches Poll, defending CCAA Champion Chico State was picked to win the North Division and defending West Region Champion Cal Poly Pomona the South Division. Entering the weekend, the Wildcats have a five-and-a-half game lead on Cal State East Bay atop the North Division standings. Cal Poly Pomona is a game behind UC San Diego in the South Division.
 
The Wildcats have relied heavily on one of the top pitching staffs in the nation thus far. The team's 2.17 ERA ranks second in the nation. The Wildcats lead the nation with a 1.00 WHIP (walks+hits/innings pitched), and rank second in hits allowed per nine innings (6.73), third in walks allowed per nine innings (2.26), and third in shutouts (5).
 
Chico State's defense leads the nation in fielding percentage at .990.
 
The offense is getting it done with the ground game. The Wildcats lead the nation in sacrifice bunts and rank eighth with 48 stolen bases.
 
Cal Poly Pomona pitching ranks 62^nd in the nation with a 4.15 ERA, but the Broncos' are 10^th in hits allowed per nine innings and 36^th in WHIP. Their fielding percentage of .956 ranks near the middle of the Division II pack. Offensively, the Broncos lead the CCAA and rank 49^th in the nation with a team batting average of .316.